THE University of Karachi is one of the biggest universities in Pakistan, accommodating thousands of students. Therefore, a huge responsibility lies upon its Semester Examination Section (SES) which is visited by hundreds of students daily in connection with various academic documents.

Sadly, incompetence and laziness reign supreme in the semester section. The staff is not only un-welcoming, but deals with the students as if they have not been paid for months.

Even if that is true, the students are not responsible for that, are they? It seems nobody is keeping an eye on the SES and its staff. The university’s registrar and the vice-chancellor clearly prefer to turn a blind eye wherever and whenever they can.

On a visit to the horrible building that houses the SES, I met some students who complained that they had been visiting the office for months for getting minor corrections in their record; mistakes committed by university staff, not by the students, mind you.

When the security guard was asked about the office timings, he said the office gets functional at 10.30am and closes around 12.40pm for public dealing. I wonder whether the SES exists on another planet which works merely for 2 hours and 10 minutes to meet the needs of thousands of students. How much time is spent actually working is another matter altogether.

And what do they do once the ‘public dealing’ hours are over? A staff member who deals with the documentation process from a window counter is often seen taking a ‘sunbath’ and enjoying his cigarettes outside the office after shutting the counter down at 12:30pm sharp. He is definitely not alone.

Besides, the entrance to the SES building has a notice which says, ‘Prove your identity before entering’. The students are made to stand in a long serpentine queue for hours to have a chance to prove their identity, but those having contacts inside the office enter without having to spend even a few seconds in the queue. This happens all the time and happens blatantly.

Can the university vice-chancellor, the registrar, the SES in-charge or anybody else in the chain of command do anything about minimising the miseries of the students visiting the semester section?

Name withheld on request Hub

UNUSED LANDS: Landlords in Sindh often utilise only a part of their holdings for agriculture or even any other business. The rest is left untouched. The government should introduce legislation to make the use of land compulsory. Moreover, the citizens should be encouraged to report any such ‘ghost land’ to the authorities. Such a policy will enhance agricultural output and provide more opportunities to the farmers.

Osama Ali Mangi
Daharki

UNITY IS STRENGTH: The recent tragedy in Murree and the blame-game that followed it were both unfortunate. We, as a nation, would do well to remember that only in unity, there is strength. Blaming one and all in the aftermath of a tragedy is common, but testing times should unite us as a society. After all, we are citizens of the same country, and should stand for each other and put aside our differences.

Dr Samia Khan
Karachi

SERVING THE SENIORS: This is with reference to the letter ‘The cost of old age’ (Jan 17). It would be interesting to know that India, our neighbouring country, has asked all bankers to serve senior citizens aged more than 70 years at their doorsteps. If senior citizens want to carry out any transaction, the bank sends its rider to their residence. The State Bank of Pakistan should consider providing the same facility.

Inayat Ullah Sheikh
Lahore

CROSSING THE LINE: This is with reference to the editorial ‘Bold decisions’ (Jan 17). People and organisations involved in transgressing their authority are both powerful and influential. When court judgments are ignored and not complied with, a far worse signal is passed on to the man on the street.

It is encouraging to note that more judgments are now being implemented, but those guilty of the transgressions hardly seem to suffer the consequences. The average citizen has to bear the brunt as can be seen in the case of Nasla Tower.

Salmaan Rasheedi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2022